Knitting machine



July 2, 1935. AGULNEK I 2,006,821

KNITTING MACHINE Filed March 19-, 1935 INYVENTJOR Harry AguVnek BY ATTORNEY Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES 2,006,821 KNITTING MACHINE Harry Agulnek, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Samuel Mishcon, doing business as Supreme Knitting Machine 00., Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 19, 1935, Serial No. 11,769

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a cam for circular knitting machines, and particularly to that type of cam positioned intermediate the pattern wheel and stitch cam serving the auxiliary purpose of drawing down anunraised needle leaving the pattern wheel to a position where it will be out of engagement with the yarn.

As is the common practice in circular knitting machines, there are employed a plurality of pattern wheels or other selective-elevating devices each of which is adapted to raise a selected coating needle to a predetermined level where it remains until it strikes the downwardly sloping stitch cam; and where there is no elevating member, such as the inserts used in a pattern wheel, the needle will remain in its idle unraised position until it similarly strikes the stitch cam at a lower point therealong, to be directed down-'- wardly. In both of these cases, the needle operatively engages the yarn in a manner well known to the art. Where it is desired, however, to keep the needle out of engagement with the yarn to produce certain kinds of fabrics, an auxiliary cam is interposed between the wheel and stitch cam, for the purpose of drawing down the needle before the receiving pointof the yarn is reached. Cams of this class are generally, according to common practice, an integral part of the block or section which carries the pattern wheel and stitch cam, so that should it be necessary to effect any repairs or changes on the said auxiliary cam, it is always necessary to detach the entire section, with all the mountings thereon, for this purpose. To overcome these disadvantages I have hence conceived this invention, whereby the auxiliary cam is independent from the section or block, and is separately attached preferably to the cam ring upon which the section itself is mounted. This arrangement not only enables the said auxiliary cam to be independently detached for repairs, but is of such a nature as to be adaptable for use ona knitting machine regardless of the size of the feed sections employed thereon.

It is still another object of my invention to provide means wholly within or a part of the auxiliary cam mounting for rendering said cam entirely inoperative by manual manipulation.

And it is a further object of this invention to provide means for directing a needle to a predetermined level other than the usual idle and elevated levels characteristic of customary knitting machine practice, so as to produce special types of fabrics.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawing and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawing, 5

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a circular knitting machine, showing the cam constituting my invention in operative position with respect to a needle, a cam ring, and the pattern wheel shown by dot-dash lines.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the auxiliary cam constituting my invention sea cured to the cam ring. 1

Figure 3 is a plan view of a section of a circular knitting machinashowing the auxiliary cam in position, and the section carrying the pattern wheel mounting in place.

Figure 4 is an elevation, looking from the cylinder, showing the arrangement of lifting .cam, pattem wheel, the auxiliary cam constituting my invention and the stitch cam.

Figure 5 shows the spring actuated cam element with a needle traveling towards the cam surface. a

Figure -6 shows the cam element of Figure 5 in a retracted position when a needle butt engages the upper portion thereof.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the unit containing my invention, and

Figure 8 is a vertical fragmentary section of a modification of the cam element and mounting therefore, showing the means employed for manually retracting the cam element into an inoperative position. I

Referring to the drawing, the auxiliary cam unit 10 containing my invention is mounted upon the cam ring II and secured thereto by the countersunk screws l2,-the cam element l3 being positioned intermediate the pattern wheel l4 and the stitch cam I5. The pattern wheel is mounted upon the section |6 which is secured to the cam ring II by the screws I1 and I8, the bifurcated support l9 serving as the direct mounting for the wheel.

In the preferred form of my invention, the cam element 13 is a part of the unitary member Ill which contains thereon the lifting cam surface 20,the said cam element being joined to and preferably integral with the arm 2| positioned within the channel 22, said arm being mounted upon the pin 23 extending transversely through the channel'and urged towards and against the wall Illa (the base of the channel) by the spring 24 to hold the cam element l3 in its projected operative position. The said cam element l3 has a horizontal portion 25 containing a tapered surface internally threaded boss '28 which carries and through which extends the screw 29 in constant abutment with the wall |0a,a spring similar to that identified by the numeral 24 constantly urging the arm and screw towards said wall.

In the operation of this device, each needle such as that identified by the numeral 30, is carried along with the rotating cam ring until the butt thereof strikes the lifting cam surface 20, which raises it to the idling position, bringing it up to a level where it can enter the slots in the pattern wheel I 4. Where there are jacks or inserts in said wheel, the butts 3| will be lifted thereby and the needle carriedyalong with the cylinder, the path of the butts of the elevated needles being indicated by the dot-dash lines 32, said butts striking the surface 33 of the stitch cam'i 5 which draws them downwardlyto enable the needles to perform a stitching operation. Where, however, there is no insert in the wheel, the butt of a needle, such as 34, will pass therethrough without being elevated and will be carried along the 'level 35 until it strikes the auxiliary cam element l3, which directs it downwardly to a level where it is out of engagement with the yarn.

Should the butt of a needle for some reason move along the level of the horizontal portion 25, it will strike the tapered or angulated surface 26 to cause a retraction of the cam element l3 against the action of the spring 24,-thereby removing the said cam element as an obstruction to the continued movement of the needle.

In the event it is desired to render the cam de-'- vice inoperative, so as to permit the butts of the unelevated needles to move along without striking the auxiliary ,cam but to continue until they.

strike the surface 33 of the stitch cam, the screw 29 (Figure 8) is manipulated to move the arm 2 la forwardly away from the cylinder, thereby shifting it out of the path of the needle butts as Indicated by the dot-dash lines. It is thus apparent that by a simple manipulation of the screw 29,.the

cam element can be either brought into its pro-'- jected operative position, or retracted into an inoperative position. I Inasmuch as the cam member I is attached directly to the cam ring I I, and not to the section It, it is obvious that this member can readily be detached from the machine without afl'ecting the said section It and the stitch cam and pattern wheel mounted thereon. With this construction, the auxiliary cam is absolutely independent of the section I 6 and the superimposed parts, and can be removed from the machine and repaired as a separate and independent unitary element. As the entire auxiliary cam mechanism is contained within the cam member ID, any and all repairs and adjustments of any parts thereof can readily be made after it is detached from the cam ring. Furthermore, the very same cam member II can be used on a knitting machine regardless of the size of the feed section I 6, which constitutes a decided advantage over other forms of auxiliary cams which are either an integral or component part of the section.

In the preferred form shown on the drawing, the auxiliary cam constituting my invention is combinatively used as a part of the lifting cam, which makes the unit very compact, economical of space and easy to handle.

It is of course understood that the various embodimentsabove described and shown in the drawing are illustrative of my invention and notemployed by way of limitation, inasmuch as numerous changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of thisinvention.

What I claim is: g

1. In a knitting machine having thereon a cam ring, needle elevating means, a stitch cam for lowering needles selectively raised by said elevating means, a unitary member attached to said cam ring and containing a lifting cam surface and having operably attached thereto a pivotally mounted auxiliarycam operatively positioned before said stitch cam and after said elevating means for lowering needles raised by said lifting cam surface and unelevated by said elevating means.

2. In a knitting machine having thereon a cam lowering needles selectively raised by said elevating means, and a unitary member attached to said cam ring; said member containing a lifting cam surface, a pivotally mounted auxiliary cam operatively positioned before said stitch cam and after said elevating means for lowering needles raised by said lifting cam surface and unelevated by said elevating means, fixed limiting means to hold the auxiliary cam against movement beyond its operative position, and spring means mounted on and entirely contained within. said unitary member and constantly urging said auxiliary cam towards said limiting means and yieldably holding it against retraction. v

' 3. In a knitting machine having thereon a cam ring, needle elevating. means, a stitch cam for lowering needles selectively raisedby said elevating means, a unitary member attached to said cam ring and containing a lifting cam surface,

by said elevating means, said auxiliary cam containing an operative surface Joined to an arm extending withinand pivotally attached to said recessed portion, fixed limiting means to hold "the auxiliary cam against movement beyond its operative position, and spring means-within'said recessed portion and in engagement with said arm,

for urging said auxiliary cam towards said limit ing means and yieldably holding it against retraction.- a 4. In a ircular knitting machine having thereon a cam ring, needle elevatingmeans, a stitch cam for lowering needles selectively raised by said elevating means, and -a unitary member attached I to said cam ring and containing a lifting cam surface, a channel having its base adjacent and in facing relation to the cylinder ofthe machine, a retractible auxiliary cambperatively positioned before said stitch cam and after said elevating means for lowering needles raised by said lifting cam surface .and unelevated by said" elevating means, said auxiliary cam containing an operative surface joined to an arm' extending into said tending transversely thereacross, and spring means mounted on said pin and in engagement with said arm for yieldably holding it in its prochannel and pivotally mounted on a pin support ed by the lateral walls of the channel and exsaidarm towards the cylinder and against said relation to the cylinder, a pivotally mounted auxiliary cam operatively positioned before said stitch cam and after said elevating means for lowering needles raised by said lifting cam surface and unelevated by said elevating means, said auxiliary cam comprising an operative surface and an arm joined thereto, said operative surface being in spaced relation to the adjacent edge of said wall, and spring means entirely contained within said member and yieldably urging wall which serves as a limiting stop to hold the auxiliary cam in its operative position.

6. In a circular knitting machine, a cam ring an independent unitary member attached directly to the cam ring and containing a wall adjacent and in facing relation to the cylinder, a pivotally mounted auxiliary cam comprising an operative surface and an arm joined thereto, said operative surface being in spaced relation to the adjacentedge of said wall, and said arm containing an internally threaded boss; an adjusting screw carried by and in threaded engagement with said boss and having its end in abutment with said wall, and spring means yieldably urging said arm towards said wall.

I HARRY AGULNEK. 

